Evidence of meeting #69 for Health in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was youth.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Jacqueline Bogden  Assistant Deputy Minister, Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Branch, Department of Health

8 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

Dr. Eyolfson.

8 p.m.

Liberal

Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB

Thank you.

Minister Petitpas Taylor, the task force on cannabis legalization recommended a separate medical access framework from the non-medical market, the recreational market. However, there was a recommendation from the Canadian Medical Association that this be evaluated within five years because there may not be a need for separate systems for medical and recreational.

Do you anticipate that a separate system for medical cannabis would exist indefinitely, or could this be subject to review?

8 p.m.

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

We certainly recognize that we have a quality, worldwide service that's available right now when it comes to medical cannabis in this country. Certainly, with respect to the legislation in Bill C-45, we can see that we can build on that existing service.

What's imperative, however, is that we want to make sure consumers of medical cannabis will continue to have access to the product they need, and we will continue as well to monitor that situation very closely to make sure they always have access to the medication, to the products they use.

I may ask Ms. Bogden if there's anything else she wanted to add to that.

8 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Branch, Department of Health

Jacqueline Bogden

I could add, Minister, that the government has committed that it accepts the advice of the task force and will review the framework in five years to determine whether the system should continue to exist.

8 p.m.

Liberal

Doug Eyolfson Liberal Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB

Great.

Thanks very much. I have no further questions.

8 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bill Casey

Thanks very much.

That completes our rounds of questions. I want to thank everybody. I want the thank the minsters, for sure.

I want to make a comment. It's just my comment. I'm not speaking on behalf of the committee, but I don't have to because the committee has spoken.

Every party here has talked about the need for education, and more education than perhaps there is. The reason that every party is talking about that is that almost every witness we had said the same thing, that public awareness and education are really important.

I was thinking a minute ago that I have seen things happen at this committee that I've never seen before. We've had witnesses say, “I'm committing crimes at home. I committed crimes before I came, and I'm going to commit them when I go back home.” We even had one witness say, “I committed a crime before I came into the committee this morning, and as soon as it's over, I'm going to commit another crime, and that's to smoke a joint.”

That's how important the education is. I'm pleased that all parties brought that issue up. If there was one common theme from every witness, it was education and the need for early education.

Thanks very much for taking the time to come and answers all our questions and stay over time. Thank you very much, committee.

The meeting is adjourned.